Thanksgiving Day

It’s Thanksgiving Sunday in Canada, a day for thankfulness and gratitude. Last evening I prepared a Thanksgiving meal for my youngest daughter and myself. I am not used to cooking for two people and prepared enough for six but leftovers are always great. We had spent a lovely day together, walking down by the marina while getting caught up with each other. 


Sara at the Marina

As I sat down to eat with her I couldn’t help but be thankful for being blessed with such a wonderful family and their willingness to share their home with me.

Thanksgiving Dinner #1

This morning I awakened early to make the two hour drive down island and back home. As I headed out,  the skies were dark and cold but it wasn’t long before the sun began to rise. I watched as it spread its beautiful colours over the skies...first turning the thin clouds light pink and then the skies grew brighter and brighter. I watched the sun come up over the ocean, and then through the trees and eventually it shone so bright it was hard to focus on the road. As I drove along watching it come up over the hills I couldn’t help but be thankful for all of creation and everything God has blessed us with. The trees are full of autumn colours...the oranges, reds and yellows bring a wonderful mixture of colour to brighten up the green of the evergreen trees. They look amazing. I love autumn. I think it is my favourite time of year.

Autumn colours

As I continued to drive and take in all the beauty that surrounded me I couldn’t help but feel gratitude that I was born in a country with such abundance. In a country, with not only such beauty in nature but where all people are free and have the right to their own beliefs and practices. It made me think of all the men and women of our Canadian Forces...those past and present who have either given or risked their lives to keep our country a place of peace and who have gone abroad to support other countries in their quest to live in a “just” world. I shudder to think what it would be like if there weren’t brave souls who were willing to risk their lives to make a difference in this world.

Tonight I worked at our church’s monthly Community Dinner where we fed close to 140 people. It was amazing. Many of our volunteers were unable to come and help as they were having their family Thanksgiving dinner but so many new people came and helped. It touched my heart to see our hall fill up to overflowing and people jumping up to bring out more table and chairs. Thankfully we didn’t run out of food, but if we had I know the folks who were there would have understood. Many of them came to the door to thank us for the meal. There was such gratitude shared between the people receiving the meal and those serving it. We were thankful for each other. It saddens me to know that we live in a country with so much and yet so many still go hungry. Someday I hope that we no longer need these meals...that all people will have enough food and a warm place to call home.

Thanksgiving Church Display

Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks, something we need to do every day.  Living a life of gratitude, being thankful everyday, thankful for our lives, for all that we are blessed with and even thankful for the things in life that cause us to struggle but bring us personal growth. Living a life of constant gratitude is something I would like to do instead of being negative and complaining over life when it doesn’t go exactly as I want it to.  Maybe it starts with one day of gratitude, and then two and then a week and then a month until it becomes second nature to rise each day with a smile and a feeling of gratitude for all.

Today, Thanksgiving Day, was Day 1. I pray that a year from now, my heart will constantly be full of gratitude and thankfulness for all that life brings to me.

Happy Thanksgiving J